ATLASThe next day, I awakened to the urgent sounds of Enzo's mind linking me and my other men. After Amelia fell asleep last night, I laid her on the bed and joined her.My instincts alert as I immediately tilt my head to stare at Amelia lying peacefully on my arm.I reach out to wake her, not wanting to pull my arm from under her head. "Wildcat, hey! You need to wake up," I say, urgency lacing my words.Amelia stirs slowly, her hands wrapping around my waist, pulling me closer to her."Hey," I call out to her in a soft voice.She finally opens her eyes as they widen at the sounds coming from outside. "Atlas? What's going on?" She asks drowsily, staring at me with a worried look, sleep still evident on her face."I don't know," I say, though I have my suspicions, but there's no time to elaborate. I get out of bed, offering my hand to her. "Your safety is my top priority right now.""My safety?" She questions, cleaning the sleep off her face with the back of her hand as she places he
ATLAS "How dare you?" I growl. My grip on her neck tightens as she struggles to break free, her eyes suddenly brightening, and I sense her wolf about to come forth. 'Atlas, you can't kill her,' Enzo's voice echoes in my head, laced with concern, but I am unfazed by his words. 'She is the Alpha King's daughter,' Enzo reminds me as my grip slowly loosens on her neck. I take a step back, irritated by the sight of her. Yesterday, I stood Amelia up because she insisted on seeing the territory. We ended up at a bar, and she busied herself with the alcohol being served while boring me about her daily activities at her father's mansion. I endured it, needing information, but it was to no avail. She knew nothing about her father or his business, just a pawn used as he pleased, and she seemed happy to be used by him. She stares at me in disbelief as her hand touches her neck. "Have you lost your mind?" she yells, rising to her feet. "I think I didn't make myself clear yesterday when I i
AMELIAI stroll down the passageway, halting in front of a door. Turning the doorknob, I step out of a wardrobe into another room, quite similar to mine but smaller in size.My eyes roam the room, landing on Ethel facing the mirror and combing her hair, oblivious to my presence. She grabs a ribbon, preparing to tie her hair into a ponytail as she combs it.Hurrying to her side, I tap her on the shoulder. My tap doesn't startle her, but my reflection in the mirror does as she screams, immediately standing to her feet."Why are you here?" she yells, glancing at her door to confirm my entry. "I mean - good morning. I'm sorry I didn't-" She bows her head to me, soon raising it to read my lips and hear my responses."Morning. I came in through the passage; Atlas said you would know what to do," I inform her, pondering how she would survive in a war with her hearing impairment. If I intended to attack her, I would have, and she wouldn't have seen it coming.Her obliviousness to the environm
AMELIA I can't believe my ears; Zayn is alive. I need to see Atlas immediately to find out what is going on and why he announced our wedding without discussing it with me. I stare at Ethel, and it seems she can sense what is going on in my head. She shakes her head before speaking. "Please, the Alpha said that I should not allow you leave this room until the event," Ethel pleads with me. "Lead me to where he is now, Ethel," I demand, not wanting to hear anything else that she has to say regarding this issue. "Now!!!" I yell at her as she walks past me, opening the door of the room with shaking hands. She walks in front of me, leading me to Atlas as I follow behind, my mind clouded by everything. We walk down the corridor and make a turn as my eyes fall on the lady I had seen with Atlas last night, heading towards my direction. She looks upset and lost in thought about something. Her eyes finally meet mine as she walks past us. Ethel bows her head to her, but I don't spare her a gl
~ THIRD PERSON'S POV ~~ TWO DAYS AGO ~The atmosphere within the Church was laden with sorrow as the pastor’s consoling words resonated through the solemn space. Today was the burial of Alpha Hector, a ceremony Zayn had not been looking forward to but he knew if the burial wasn’t conducted immediately his pack would be without an Alpha.Zayn maintained a composed demeanor, his gaze fixed upon the casket adorned with white flowers on the podium. Though surrounded by the subdued hues of grief from his pack members, Zayn restrained himself from crying, his jaw clenched as he thought about that moment in his father's office and how badly they had beaten him until he fell into an unconscious state.He thought they would kill him but they had left his unconscious body for his men to attend to, he had been able to heal himself but the process had been painful.Nicole who had been sitting next to him all along noticed the look in his eyes, she knew Zayn adored his father and had always done
ATLAS As I stand here, gazing intently at Enzo, the question burns on my lips. "Who gave them permission to enter my mansion?" I demand, my voice laced with irritation. The audacity of someone thinking they can just waltz into my domain without my knowledge or consent is infuriating. Enzo shifts uncomfortably under my intense stare, his eyes flickering nervously. "I-I..." he stammers, clearly searching for the right words to explain himself. Before Enzo can utter a coherent response, a figure emerges from the shadows behind him. Cane, the alpha's son, and his presence provide answers to my questions. Cane is known for his captivating charisma and knack for getting what he wants. And now, it seems, his persuasive power has infiltrated my territory. Frustrated by his presence I turn my attention to Cane. "Cane," I acknowledge his presence. "I should've known it was your hand that forced my guards to allow Zayn entry." Cane flashes a smug grin, seemingly unruffled by my glare. "Alph
AMELIAOn my way back to my room, Ethel attempts to apologize for the Alpha King's daughter's behavior, but I insist that the apology should be mine. She tried to shield me and ended up being slapped as well."Alpha prepared three gowns; he wasn't sure exactly what you would want to wear," Ethel says as we enter my room."I will fetch them immediately," she offers. "You must be hungry. Shall I bring in your food? And a bottle of wine, perhaps? Do you drink wine, or would you prefer juice?""Juice is fine," I reply.Ethel bows her head, scanning the room to ensure our privacy. Once reassured, she leaves the room. It appears that Atlas has assigned her the task of watching over me, but wasn't that dangerous with her hearing impairment. I wl prefer to see her living a simple life than having to work here as a maid but maybe Atlas has his reasons.After her departure, I quickly freshen up in the bathroom. After I am done, I wear the towel bathrobe and sit on the edge of the bed, waiting
AMELIA I can't believe my eyes as I stare at the gown in amazement, then back at Ethel as she returns the crooked wand to her pocket. On closer look, it doesn't even look like there's a pocket in her gown. The wand just seems to disappear inside her clothes. "You... you are a witch?" I stutter, still in disbelief. "Yes, I am, but if you do not need to change the gown, then -" I run my fingers through my hair as I recollect the moment when I met her for the first time. How did I not see that, despite her hearing impairment, she seemed to fit in perfectly? Here I was thinking that she was a she-wolf like me, but she wasn't, and Atlas knew this. Did the other workers in the mansion also know that she was a witch? "I am sorry," I apologize for the way I am currently looking at her. "Who else knows about this?" "His beta, Enzo," Ethel replies, bowing her head to me. "I wanted to tell you, but the Alpha thought it best to wait a couple of days before I do." "And why is that?" Why woul
AMELIA My heart swells with pride and joy as I hug Atlas tightly. I can't believe that he was chosen as the Alpha King. In a way, I dreamt of him being the Alpha King but I was also accepting if he came home otherwise. It all didn't matter to me but this is a testament to his strength, courage, and leadership qualities. He is a good leader who always puts his pack first and I know he will do well to protect his pack and other packs at large. "I'm so proud of you," I whisper this time, my voice thick with emotion. "You're going to do great." He smiles down at me, his eyes filled with love and admiration. "Thank you, my love," he says. "I couldn't have done it without you, so 'We' are going to do great." He gently cups my face in his hands and leans in to kiss me. The kiss is slow yet passionate and filled with all the love and longing we have been feeling for each other during our time apart. When we finally pull away, I can't help but smile. "I love you, Atlas." "I love you," h
_TWO WEEKS LATER_AMELIAI roll over in bed, waking up to the sunlight streaming through the window and casting a warm glow across the room. I stretch and yawn, then roll over to check my phone on the bedside table. There is a message from Atlas.[Good morning, beautiful. Miss you tons here. Another day closer to seeing you. :)]My heart skips a beat as I read his words. It has been two weeks since he left for the Alpha King Chosen Games, and I miss him more than anything. We have been communicating constantly over the phone, but it isn't the same as being with him in person.To think he just got back after being away and now we have to talk over the phone again, I just hope this doesn't become a constant thing. I get out of bed and walk over to the window, looking out at the forest below. The trees are still bare, but I can see the first hints of spring in the air. I wonder what Atlas is doing at that moment. Is he training? Is he competing in one of the challenges? Is he thinking a
~ONE WEEKS LATER ~ATLASIt has been one week since Amelia's mother died, by rites we had to conduct the burial two days later but the burial was shifted to today because Amelia wanted her mother to be cremated.In her words, she doesn't want anyone to be able to use her mother's body ever again. I know her mother's death took a toll on her, so I made sure to keep the burial within the mansion.We stand by her mother's body watching it burn into ashes, Amelia sobs silently in my embrace. She has barely said a full sentence over the past few days, as long as she eats and allows me to comfort her I do not bother her about talking. I understand the pain she must be going through, to lose someone yet again, and this time right before your own eyes knowing you could have saved them if you knew sooner. In a way, she blames Griffin. I saw it in her eyes when we left the room as she cried out in my arms. She blames him for keeping her out of their plans for years and she blames herself more
AMELIA"Don't be, my child," my mother whispers, her voice barely above a whisper. "It's not your fault."I shake my head, tears streaming down my face. "But it is," I sob. "I should have been there for you, I should have protected you."If I had not been so naive, if I had been more observant then maybe I would have seen that her death wasn't real. Maybe I would have picked up on her closeness with Griffin and why? I squeeze her hand tightly not wanting to let go of her, tears streaming down my eyes uncontrollably."You couldn't have known," she says softly. "This was meant to happen.""No, it wasn't," I argue. "You didn't deserve this." The Alpha King did this to her, and I am grateful he is dead now but I can't lose her, I can't lose her again. She needs to fight this and stay with me."I know, my sweet," she says. "But it's too late now and we must accept our fate."I grip her hand tightly, refusing to let go. "No, it's not too late," I say fiercely. "I'll find a way to save you.
AMELIAAfter Atlas leaves, I close my eyes hoping to fall asleep but my eyes open at the sound of a knock on the door. I tilt my head slightly to find Griffin by the door with a grin on his face, he steps in and closes the door behind him."Hey," he says walking towards the bed. "I thought to come and check on you after what I heard happened to you."I straighten up on the bed pulling the duvet over my chest, "Atlas told you?" I ask wondering how he knew I was in Atlas room. He shakes his head in a sign of No, "I have my ways Amelia, the only issue I am having currently is getting into your head," he replies grabbing a chair in the corner of the room and placing it next to the bed. His eyes fall on the table broken into pieces by the side of the room as he takes his seat, he smirks at the sight of it and turns his gaze to me. "What have your beloved mate been up to?" He asks. "I thought he would have died by now but turns out he has been able to hold on for a little longer."My eye
ATLAS I get up from the bed reluctantly, my mind filled with worry and uncertainty. As I walk down the corridors of the packhouse towards the living room, I mind-link one of the guards to get me Ophelia but I find her in the living room discussing with one of the guards. "Alpha," she turns around sensing my presence, and bows her head. "I was discussing with the guard to watch over our Luna, I suspected that you might be tired from the journey," she says a hint of concern in her voice."I need to talk to you about something," I reply, my voice filled with urgency as I raise my hand in the air waving the guard off. The guard bows his head and excuses us."Something is happening to me, something strange," I admit to her going to sit down on one of the couches, she follows behind and takes a seat opposite me. Ophelia's eyes narrow as she studies me, sensing the gravity of my words. "What is it?" she asks.Taking a deep breath, I begin to explain everything that has been happening. The
ATLASShe responds eagerly, her arms wrapping around my neck. It is a kiss filled with passion and longing. As we break apart, I gaze into her eyes, seeing the love and trust reflecting on me.She sits up and leans closer to me wrapping her hand around my waist and pulling me closer to her, a smirk falls on my face watching what she is doing. She places her head on my chest snuggling in, "You feel so warm," she mutters.I place my hand to her shoulder pushing her off slowly away from me. She raises an eyebrow at me with a questioning look but her eyes soon soften when she sees me getting in bed with her. Pulling her closer to me she snuggles in closer to me again resting her head on my chest as I wrap my hand around her.My hand suddenly trembles on her, I raise it to look at my hand feeling the darkness consuming me again, she raises her head to look at me wondering what's wrong. As her eyes meet mine, her lips part, "your eyes," she says sitting up straight. "It's red." I nod agr
ATLASI stare at her neck yanking her hair further back as she swallows in, her eyes flickering with fear at what I am about to do to her.Placing the silver blade to her neck, a knock suddenly falls on the door. I stare at Easton, and he nods going to check who dared to interrupt us. Easton opens the door slightly making me unable to see who is on the other side but I don't miss the words of the woman behind the door. "Ophelia asked me to inform the Alpha that our Luna is awake."My hardened gaze softens at the realization that Ophelia was able to keep her alive. I let go of Nicole's hair, she breathes out relief washing over her face. "Take care of them," I instruct Easton, gesturing the silver blades toward Zayn and Nicole. "A slow death."Easton nods, "Yes, Alpha."I rush out of the cell following the woman back to my room, my heart pounding with a mix of anticipation and fear. As I enter, I see Ophelia and the other witches by her bedside. "She is better now but will take awhi
ATLASEaston quickly nods and rushes out of the room to carry out my orders. I can sense the fear emanating from him, knowing that he has let me down in the worst possible way. I turn my attention back to Amelia, my heart aching with every passing second. Her breathing is shallow, and I can see the struggle on her face. It's as if time has slowed down, and the weight of the world rests on my shoulders.I lean closer to her, "I am right here, Wildcat," I say aloud hoping she can hear me.I can feel the connection between us vibrating with energy as if begging her to hold on, to fight. I pour every ounce of love and strength I have into the bond, hoping that it will somehow reach her and ignite a spark of hope within her.Minutes turn into hours, and I refuse to leave her side. I whisper words of encouragement, recounting the moments we've shared, reminding her of the love that we shared. But still, there is no response.I decide to freshen up, I reek of blood and sweat and if she wake